Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Michael Copon Congratulates Taylor Lautner

*Takes a deep breath* It's going to be so hard for me to do this article. I loathe this man with a passion. Reading about him, hearing him -- it boils my blood and I seriously get enraged. But I'm going to be as accurate as possible with this article just like I've been with the two before.

If you haven't heard the name Michael Copon, you probably live under a rock. How's the Internet service down there? :P His acting resume includes productions like The Scorpion King 2, One Tree Hill, and Bring It On: In It To Win It. But as of lately, Copon is most famous for the rumors that placed him as one of the top choices to play the bigger, buffer, 'older' Jacob Black in New Moon.

I don't know when the rumors first started, but the longer that Summit refused to comment on the state of Taylor's future involvement, the more it looked like Michael Copon was going to be taking over. To give you an idea of how long the agony of not knowing lasted: On December 20th, I checked up on Twilight news over at TST. (I'd lost the Internet at my house and hadn't been able to access it for about a week and a half.) On that day, I saw that Michael Copon was rumored to be replacing Taylor. It wasn't until January 7th that Summit came out with an official statement that Taylor was secured as Jacob. Okay, that was less than a month, but it felt like forever.

Now, I pride myself in being a reasonably rational individual. At first glance, Copon is kind of cute, and he even looks a little bit like an older Taylor. I'd already fallen in love with Lautner as Jacob, but I knew that if they felt like they had to replace him, there was nothing I could do about it. I'd accept this man, and I'd chew out anybody who chose to throw a bitch fit over it. (TST reported that Copon was receiving nasty messages from Lautner fans. I was -- and still am -- appalled by that kind of behavior.)

This is where a lot of Twilight/Jacob/Taylor fans became absolutely rabid. In the interview, Michael Copon essentially inflated his already enormous ego while simultaneously putting Taylor down. He talked about how Jacob wasn't brought to justice; he was too 'one-sided' and only had 'two colors', whereas Copon felt he could exhibit the 'hundreds of colors' that Jacob was meant to have.

At this point, it's already clear that this guy has never read Twilight. And you know, that's fine. Most of the actors in the film didn't read any of the books until they were cast. But when you run your mouth about something, you should know what you're talking about. Perhaps in Twilight Jacob is a little one-sided; maybe he only does have two colors. But that is because in TWILIGHT, Jacob is a plot device. That part of his character was always there; he was always meant to add a little mystery to the Cullens. However, he wasn't supposed to be as involved in the rest of the series as what he is now. Jacob's character 'spoke' to Stephenie Meyer, and thus she included him in the rest of the series. It's not fair to say that Lautner made Jacob 'one-sided' because Jacob doesn't really develop until New Moon.

The interviewer later on questions Copon's preperation for the role. Now, to be fair, the questions were asked in a manner of comparison, but Michael's answers sometimes feel a bit too pushy to me -- like he was trying to make us see the flaws in Taylor so that we'd start imagining him as Jacob. Case in point: He comments that he is 200lbs, so if anything, he needs to lose some weight. Michael then furthers the obviousness of his answer with, 'Taylor's probably what, 140 if he's lucky?' And then he goes further, comparing their heights.

The question was Taylor's been bulking up to try to get the role. Have you been preparing in any way?, not Why are you a better choice for Jacob than Taylor?.

The interview soon takes a turn where the accuracy and consistency of Michael's words get a little fuzzy. When asked about the truth about the rumors, Michael said that no auditions were taking place. That seemed pretty truthful. Even though the filming for New Moon is set in March, it seemed a little early for auditions. However, what gets me is when he said 'My representation has been talking to Summit and they're hearing that I'm one of the first picks'. That article took place on December 19th. On January 7th, just hours before the official statement was released, EW posted an article about the likeliness of Taylor's return and confronted rumors about Copon and Barnes seeking the covetted Twilight role. EW posted: Recently, there have been rumors that Michael Copon (The Scorpion King 2) and Steven Strait (10,000 BC) are jockeying for Lautner's spot. But you can chalk that up to empty Web noise: Reps for both actors say nei­ther has been approached for the role.

So which is it, Michael? Were your agents in touch with Summit and hearing that you were up for it? Or was there absolutely no contact in the first place?

As the Michael vs Taylor hype increased, screencaptures of Michael's facebook status started surfacing, and it started huge debates. Status messages included "Michael Copon [is] in a Twilight Zone!" and "Michael Copon is the older Jacob Black!". Now, in the above video, Michael Copon claims that the Facebook was a fake. Somebody created it with the intent of impersonating the actor.

MTV, however, says differently.

Okay, so I don't believe everything MTV says. In the recent Vanessa Hudgens uproar, MTV twisted Ashley Greene's words around to make it sound like she had some 'inside information'. However, I'll offer this up and let you do with it what you will. MTV is quoted in writing, 'Copon's representative confirmed to MTV News that the Facebook page is run by the actor himself and that those are indeed his words.'

It seems like Michael can't keep his facts straight. Did he create the Facebook page or didn't he?

According to the video above, Summit called and asked if Copon was starting the rumors. He might not have, but he certainly fueled them. I wish him all the best, and maybe he'll land a part in Twilight 2, but he'd better learn some real humility.

UPDATE The Twilight Lexicon has been updating on the Vanessa Hudgens rumor. Sources were printing different information, but I think we've finally got an answer. Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter for Twilight and New Moon, stated that 'if Vanessa is auditioning for the role of Leah, she’s written her own pages to read, ’cause I didn’t write ‘em.'